Fuel vaporizer and mixer for explosive-engines or other uses.



PB tBI' ItGd 0d. 30, I900..

AKHAYES. FUEL VAPORIZEB AND MIXER FOB EXPLOSIVE ENGINES OR OTHER USES t"u d I (Application filed June 4, 1900. 0 0

' Witness m: Nouns Pr sn; cow monruwq. wnmumou, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

To MATTHEW H. WALKER, OOLBORN, sAME PLACE.

WILLIAM A. NELDEN, AND EDWARD F.

FUEL VAPORIZER AND MIXER FOR E'X PLOSIVl-I-ENGINES OR OTHER llSESQSPECiFIGATION forming part of etters-Patent No. 660,954, dated Octoberso, 1900. Application filed June 4, 1 900. Serial No. 19,006. (Nomodel.)

T0 at whom it may-concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT HAYES, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residing at Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and Stateof Utah, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus forVaporizing, Oil and Obtaining a Fixed Gas Therefrom, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide an 1o apparatus in whichhydrocarbon oils, such as asolene and the like, maybe vaporized, thevapor mixed with air, and the mixed vapor and air converted into a fixedgas capable. of being stored without danger of stratification orcondensation and separation of the vapor and air.

With this object in view my invention consists in the apparatushereinafter described and claimed in which oil under pressure is fedthrough a valve arranged to be automatically regulated to a tube inwhich it is vaporized by heat and from which the vapor is dischargedinto a chamber or trap into which air is admitted and in which the vaporand air are mixed and the mixture subjected to heat sufficient toconvert the mixture into a fixed gas. 7

My invention also consists in the details of construction hereinafterparticularly pointed out and claimed.

Heretofore for power purposes, as well as for other purposes, it hasbeencustomary to vaporize oils and to mix the vapor with air, either inthe cylinder of the engine or in a chamber adjacent thereto, and toignite the mixture at once before condensation and separation takesplace. This results 'in a more or less imperfectcombustion andnecessarily more or less unevenness offorce in the stroke of the-piston.As a further result, it being impossible to store the mixture of vaporand air, special means for starting the engine must be used in order toset in operation'the devices by which the oil is vaporized, mixed withair, and introduced into theengine-cylinder. By my'invention it is madepossible to have on hand ready for use instarting the engine a supply offixed gas capable of being stored indefinitely at any temperaturewithout danger of combustion.

Inthe drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a viewillustrating the application of my invention to an'engine. Fig. 2 is acentral vertical section of the same.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 represents a tank forcontaining oil, said oil being continuously under pressure. A pipe 2,having a valve 3,1eads from the tank 1 to ahead-4, said head consistingof a disk 5, hav- 6o ing a central perforation 6 'and a valve-seat 7.Fitted to the valve-seat is a valve 8, held in proper position by a cap9, against which the flat side 8 of the valve fits. The rear face 8 ofthe valve does not fit the seat tight, '65 allowing a sufficientquantity of oil to ooze around it and the seat to the vaporizer. To therear of the head 4. is secured a vaporizertube 10, provided with a capll, having a valve-seat 12 therein.

I Passing through the head 4 and the vaporizer-tube 10 is a valve-stem13, carrying on its inner endavalve 14, passing through the valve 8,which is thus held from sidewise movement and guided in its movementtoand from its seat by the valve-stem, on which it slides freely, andsurrounding the stem within the vaporizing-tube is a packing, preferablyofasbestos or some analogous material, which latter is incased within atube 14 so as to .withstand the pressure as the vaporis created. Thepurpose of this packing is to restrict the too fuli flowing of the oil.The lower end of the valve-stem l3iis made angular in crosssection andis secured by a set-screw 13 in a cap 13", which is screw-threaded ontoa hipple 13* on the cap 9. By turning the cap 13 the distance of thevalve 14 from its seat, and consequently the flow of vapor, may beregulated.

The inner end portion'of the vaporizingtube 10, which is preferablyvertical, is projectedinto and sustains an atmospheric-airintroducingtube 15, which'is composed in the present instance of a horizontalmember 16 5 and a vertical member 18. The vertical member is surroundedby what I shall term a trap or chamber 19, into which the vapor and airare introduced, as will be hereinafter and more particularly referredto. A 109 vertical pipe 21 leads from the chamber to a gasometer 22,wherein the generated fixed gas is stored as rapidly as it is created.This vertical pipe 21 is preferably connected to the chamber 19 at apoint above its bottom.

The vaporizing-tube 13, air-supply pipe, chamber 19, and gas-pipe 21 arepreferably arranged, as shown, within the exhaust-pipe 22 of an engine,the exhaust-pipe consisting of a horizontal portion 22 and a verticalportion 22", having a closed bottom 22, through which the vaporizer-tube10 and gas-pipe 21 extend and having near its bottom an outlet 22 forthe escape of the products of combustion. The chamber 19 being-placed,asshown, directly in line with the horizontal portion of the exhaust-pipeis in position to receive the exhaust from the engine at its highesttemperature, with the result that the external wall of this chamber andthe upper portion of the pipe 21 will be heated to the temperaturenecessary to insure the fixing of the gas, a temperature which shouldnot be less than 700. The vaporizer-tube 10 being arrangedvertically,asshown,will be less highly heated, even in its upperportion, than the chamber 19, while the products of combustion iupassingto the lower end of the tube will have time to cool materially, and itslower portion will consequently be at a temperature much less than thatof the chamber 19. If the pressure in the vaporizer-tube 10 becomesexcessive, it will by acting on the upper face of the valve 8 cause thelower face 8 of the valve to close the end of the oil-supply pipe 2, andthus shut off the supply of oil. As soon as the pressure in thevaporizer-tube is reduced the valve 8 will be lifted by the pressure ofthe oil and the oil will ooze around it and enter the vaporizer-tube. Inthis way the supply of oil will be automatically regulated. The air-tube15 is provided with a valve 15, by which the amount of air introduced isregulated. By manipulation of the valves 1t and 15 the relativeproportion of vapor and air may be regulated, so as to obtain a fixedgas of any desired quality.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The engine having beenstarted and the exhaust from the cylinder directed into the exhaust-pipe22, oil entering the valve-seatat 23 under pressure oozes around thevalve to the vaporizer 10, when it is heated by the exhaust products,and by the time it has passed through the asbestos and reached theopposite end of the vaporizing-tn be it is completely vaporized andready to be introduced into the chamber 19. The valve 14 is opened, andthe desired quantity of vapor is discharged into the airinlet pipe 15.The discharge of the vapor draws in air through the valve 15, and thevapor and air are mixed in the tube. The

mixed vapor and air passing above the edge of the vertical portion 18 ofthe air-inlet pipe comes in contact with the highly-heated walls of thechamber 19, by which it is converted from a mixture of vapor and airinto a fixed gas and is discharged into the gas-pipe 22, which conveysit to the gasometer. The mouth of the gas-pipe 22 being above the bottomof the chamber 19, any of the mixed vapor and air not completelyconverted into a fixed gas will tend to drop below the level of themouth of the gas-pipe and will comein contact with the bottom of thechamber, by which its conversion into a fixed gas will be insured. Thechamber 19 being inclosed within the exhaust-pipe is exposed on allsides to the hot exhaust from the engine. If preferred, instead ofstarting the engine and utilizing its exhaust to begin the vaporizationheat from any other source may be applied to the chamber 19 andvaporizing-tube 10 until a sufficient quantity of gas has been made withwhich to start the engine. The vaporizing-tube 10 being filled, asdescribed, with a packing of asbestos or like material and beingarranged vertically,as shown, the oil which enters through the automaticregulatingvalve will immediately upon its entrance into thevaporizing-tube be broken up into finely-divided streams as it isabsorbed by the packing material. There will thus be no considerablequantity of oil at any time in the tube. portion of the tube will besufficient to vaporize the oil to such an extent as to expand its volumeto many times its original volume. As the partly-vaporized oil rises inthe tube it meets a more intense heat and is at the same time stillfurther divided by the packing material. At a point considerably belowthe discharge-orifice the vaporization will be completed, with theresnltthat nothing but finelydivided vaporcan be discharged from thevaporizing-tube. The vapor so'discharged will necessarily be at a pressure much higher than that on the oil in the supply-tank, the packing inthe tube operating to choke the back pressure, so that the back pressuretransmitted to the regulating-valve will be very much less than thatinthe upper end of the tubes. If at any time the volume of vapor generatedin the vaporizer is greater than the capacity of the tube, the backpressure will close the valve 8 and shut oft the supply of oil from theoiltank 1.

By such a construction and operation I am enabled to vaporize the oil,introduce heated air, and mix the two together wholly by the waste orescaping heat. This utilization of heatproducesa combustion of theelements or the oil in the mixing-chamber to such an extent as to rendera gas totally incapable of stratifying, enabling me to at all times havea supply of gas in my gasometer of a given mixture. Agiven mixture ofgas in the gas oineter has many decided advantages. However, as I haveshown my invention as applied to an engine I can better point out a fewof the advantages in connection therewith. We will suppose the engine isto be stopped. The valve 21 is closed and a sufficient amount of gas isin the gasometer. To

start the engine again, it is only necessary to The heat evenin thelower turn on the supply of gas from the gasometer, whereupon the engineis immediately started without the usual preliminary use of someauxiliary expedient. Moreover, from the first strokes of the engine thegasometer is replenished and the mixture therein is continuouslymaintained.

While I have shown and described a structure capable of performing thedesired result-s, many minor changes may be made without departing fromthe spirit and scope of my in vention, and I accordingly reserve theright to do so.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an apparatus for the purpose specified, the combination with atank containing oil under pressure, a vaporizing-tube connected with thetank and having a valve-controlled outlet, and a valve independent ofthe outlet-valve controlling thesupply of oil to the vaporizing-tubeconstructed and arranged to be operated to shut oh? the supply of oil bythe back pressure in the vaporizing-tube when it exceeds the pressureonthe tank, of a fixing-chamber, an air-inlet tube communicating with thefixing-chamber, the vaporizingtube being arranged to discharge vaporinto the air-inlet tube, and means for heating the vaporizing-tube andfixing-chamber,the parts being so arranged that the fixing-chamber issubjected to a more intense heat than the vaporizing-tube; substantiallyas described.

2. Inanapparatusforthepurposespecified, the combination with avaporizing-tube having a vapor-outlet at one end and a valve controllingthe outlet, of means forautomatically controlling the supply of oil tothe vaporizingtube, consisting of a valve carried by and freely movableon the stem of the outletvalve arranged between the oil-supply tube andthe entrance to the vaporizing-tube, the space between the upper face ofthe valve and the casing therefor being sufficient to permit oil to beforced into the vaporizing-tube and the lower face of the valve fittingtightly in its seat when forced to its seat by back pressure from thevaporizing-tube; substantially as described. 7

3. In an apparatus forthe purpose specified, the combination with avaporizing-tube having a vapor-outlet at its inner end and provided witha filling of fibrous material, means for supplying oil to the outer endof the tube, and means actuated by the vapor-pressure for automaticallyregulatingthe supply of oil, of a fixing-chamber and an air-inlet tubecommunicating therewith, the vaporizing-tube being arranged to dischargevapor into the air'inlet tube, a gas-outlet pipe communicating with thefixing-chamber and means for heating the vaporizing-tube andfixing-chamber; substantially as described.

4. In an apparatus for the purpose specified,

the combination with a vertical vaporizing tube having a vapor-outlet atits upper end and provided with a filling of fibrous mate rial, meansfor supplying oil to the bottom of the tube and means for automaticallyreg ulating the supply of oil, of a fixing-chamber and an air-inlet tubecommunicating therewith, the vaporizing-tube being arranged to dischargevapor into the air-inlet tube, a gas= outlet pipe communicating with thefixingchamber at a point above its bottom, and means for heating thevaporizing-tube and fixing-chamber, the parts being so arranged that thefixing-chain her is subjected to a more intense heat than thevaporizing-tube, sub stantially as described.-

5. In an apparatus for the purpose specified, the combination with atank containing oil under pressure, a vertical vaporizing-tube connectedwith the tank having a filling of fibrous material and having a'valve atits lower end, constructed and arranged to be operatedto shut off thesupply of oil by the back pressure in the vaporizing-tube, when itexceeds the pressure on the tank, of a fix lug-chamber, an air-inlettube communicating with the fixing-chamber, the vaporizingtube beingarranged to discharge vapor into the air-inlet tube, and means forheating the vaporizing-tube and fixing-chamber,the parts being soarranged that the fixing-chamber is subjected to a more intense heatthan the vaporizing-tube; substantially as described.

6. In an apparatus, for the purpose specified, the combination with avertical vaporizing-tube, having a filling of fibrous material, andhaving a valve-controlled outlet, of means for automatically controllingthe supply of oil to the vaporizing-tube, consisting of a valve arrangedbetween the oil-supply and the entrance to the vaporizing-tube, thespace between the upper face of the valve and the casing therefor beingsufficient to permit oilto be forced into the vaporizing-tube and thelower face'ot' the valve fitting tightly in its seat when forced to itsseat by back pressure from the vaporizing-tube; substantially asdescribed.

7. The com bination with a vaporizing-tube having an oil-inlet at oneend, and a vaporoutlet at the other end, of a valve controlling thevapor-outlet and a valve controlling the oil-inlet, carried by andfreely movable on the stem of the outlet-valve; substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

EDWARD F. OOLBORN, SAML. C. MILLS.

